


Phoenix Among Feathers

by EmeraldHeiress



Series: Ad Aglaophotis [6]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Tim Drake, Caretaking, Don't copy to another site, Explicit Language, Female Jason Todd, Gen, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Jason Todd, Paranoia, Personal Growth, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 02:57:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20716955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldHeiress/pseuds/EmeraldHeiress
Summary: Jay paced back and forth across the room. Frustration and frenetic energy seeped from her frame as she glared at the phone on the breakfast bar. She didn’t really have much of a choice. She knew she was going to have to make the call.





	Phoenix Among Feathers

Jay paced back and forth across the room. Frustration and frenetic energy seeped from her frame as she glared at the phone on the breakfast bar. She didn’t really have much of a choice. She knew she was going to have to make the call.

Damnit all, she’d gone this long without asking for help.

Not that it’d stopped any of them from bullying their way into doing so anyway. 

Not that it hadn’t saved her life a few times now.

It still didn’t mean she wanted to make the call. It would mean admitting that she needed help. Admitting that she couldn’t do it all on her own. Admitting that she had been lying to herself, and to them, all this time.

But what other option did she have?

A wave of warmth flowed over her and she stumbled, leaning against the wall. She caught the spicy-sweet scent of her heat perfuming the room. Boy, the doc sure wasn’t kidding when she said she’d have weird-ass issues with her cycle. 

Hopefully, this one being the first after being off the suppressants, it would be the worst, but… anxiety gnawed at her stomach. She hadn’t been prepared. Stupid, she knew - perhaps in a bit of denial. 

She’d thrown herself right into a case after getting out of the clinic. _Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Go directly to Hell._ They didn’t expect it to hit for a month or so anyway. Her system would need time to flush the toxins and prepare her reproductive system for a run. But hey, _Lazarus altered biology._ Jay was getting tired of hearing, of saying, that phrase. 

Cass had promised to be here; to play den guard for her so she didn’t have to go through her first heat in nearly four years alone.

Jay didn’t blame her. It was two weeks earlier than they had expected and Cass was scheduled to be out of the country until next week. Stephanie’s own heat was this week, so she’d accompanied her mate on the trip. It didn’t change the terror at being vulnerable in her own apartment. The skin-crawling feeling of being a sitting duck. 

It didn’t change the fact that she was trapped with no way to get the groceries that she had so negligently run out of. It’s not like she could call for take-out; what if the delivery person was an alpha? Or an informant? Scentless, _packless_, she was easy prey for a harem-hunter and she was out of her scent blockers. Everyone knew that delivery people in areas like the Narrows and the Alley were prime informants for traffickers.

She was, admittedly, out of options. And there was only one person she could call.

She didn’t like involving the pups in anything like this. Didn’t like having them help her. She was supposed to care for them. Protect them. (It didn’t matter that Tim was 18 now.) Yet… Yet she couldn’t go without food for however long this heat would last and she couldn’t risk ordering out.

There was little choice.

(And Cass would tear her to shreds if she tried to wait it out. She’d tell Alfred.)

She called.

“Jay? What’s wrong?” Tim answered on the third ring.

“I’d be insulted if you weren’t right.” Her voice was strained.

“I’m on my way.” 

“Hold on there, cowboy.” She barked, annoyed at the presumption. She was hardly helpless for fuck's sake. “It’s not an emergency situation.” Jay sighed. “Heat came early and I’m trapped at home.”

“What do you need, Jay?” Tim’s voice was soft, concerned. It irritated her.

The omega took a deep breath and released it slowly. Her heat was making her irritable and it wouldn’t do to take it out on the kid. “I didn’t get the chance to stock the fridge. If you could drop off some easy to make food, I’d really appreciate it.”

There were a few seconds of silence over the line. Jay knew Tim was using the time to put together information and reaching conclusions. “You’re not safe.” He finally said.

“I’m fine.” She snapped. She wasn’t. She felt exposed and weak, even with all of the defenses and upgrades she had added to the apartment. 

“Not if you have to worry about delivery people.”

“That’s the reality of life in the Alley, pup.” Jay sighed, fight draining out of her, leaving her tired.

More silence. Then, “I’ll be by in an hour, Jay.”

“I’m not going to waste away in such a short amount of time.”

“An hour.” Voice firm, he ended the call. Teal eyes looked at the ceiling in exasperation.

_________________

It was slightly less than an hour later when a knock sounded at her door. A frisson of fear shot through Jay even though logically she knew it was Tim. Still, she was cautious. She checked her video feeds, both of the street walk up and the door itself, before unlocking it and peeking out. The beta smiled at her reassuringly, several bags of groceries in his arms and a large backpack slung over his shoulders.

Jay moved aside, just enough to let him in, before slamming the door shut and taking the time to secure it again - double and triple-checking the locks. She didn’t notice the time Tim took to examine her as she did so, his nostrils flaring as he read her scent. The heat and fear were nearly overwhelming.

The omega had dragged promises from Stephanie and Cassandra not to tell the pups too many details about her recent brush with toxicity… Tim was too good of a detective not to know about the suppressant abuse, but she was practically broadcasting the reasons behind it with her behavior. His heart ached. Would they ever run out of horrors from her past to discover? 

Finally satisfied, she turned towards Tim with a wan smile. “Thanks.” She crowded into his space and leaned in, inhaling, and froze. She’d been about to scent him. But it wasn’t her place. She wasn’t his pack. She stumbled back, apologizing, taking the grocery bags from his hands and disappearing into the kitchen. 

“Jay?” He called after her, concerned. 

“‘M’fine.” Voice muffled.

He sighed and padded into the living room, setting his backpack by the couch before following her into the kitchen. Jay’s scent, heavy with heat and distress, was kicking his instincts into overdrive. Thankfully, it was nothing he wasn’t already planning to do.

Jay looked up as he joined her in the kitchen. “How did you know to get all of this?” She asked. 

Tim had brought a variety of pre-prepared easy to eat food. Items that were high in protein and sugar, nutrients that were helpful for omegas in heat. Enough to last all week. As well as general staples.

The beta rubbed the back of his neck, “I asked.”

She was silent for a moment before saying, “Thank you.” 

Jay looked down, uncomfortable. Tim crowded into her space, burrowing into her shoulder. A part of him will always be irritated that she was five inches taller than him, but moments like this when he could offer his older sister comfort… well… it was worth it. She automatically wrapped her arms around him, breathing in his scent and relaxing. 

It helped, having a family member close. His rich black coffee scent, coded with ‘little brother’ and ‘safety’. (And too much _adult_ for her preferences. When did he grow up?) It soothed some of the itch underneath her skin. Soothed the loneliness that heats magnified.

“Let me help.” He said, puffing warm breath over her neck in a calculated manipulation of biology. More tension bled out of her, her body receiving comforting signals of puppy presence. Her scent was already clearing of negative emotions in the short time that Tim had been there. The strong heat scent remained, and would, but she was already better.

She snorted, “You burn water. You think I’m letting you touch anything in my kitchen?”

“I can carve the rotisserie chicken.”

“You can mangle a rotisserie chicken.” She huffed a tired laugh in his hair. “You can grab the plates and silverware.”

He took the minor victory for what it was. Throughout dinner he kept close, tucking himself into her side as they ate on the couch as they watched Queer Eye and leaving only to take the dishes to the kitchen before snuggling up to her again. He’d like to have Damian here, too, and migrate them all into her nest. The kid’s presence would help with the waves of hormones and emotions she was experiencing... but he knew he was already on thin ice. 

She hadn’t asked him why he was still here, yet. Dinner had been a good excuse. She’d been eyeing him suspiciously but let it pass, so far. The second he pulled out his laptop and settled into work, though, the jig would be up. She would know he had no intention of leaving and she’d fight tooth and nail to kick him out. 

Jay had a huge issue with any of the ‘pups’ having anything to do with helping her since they’d sent Damian to her that day several months ago. Tim understood, in a way. The kid hadn’t really been equipped to deal with the situation nor, in a normal family, should he ever have been exposed to it.

(The fact that all of them _should_ have felt comfortable contacting Bruce first, or that Jay should never have had the chance to get into that state was pushed out of his mind. She didn’t need him getting angry right now.)

But they _weren’t_ a normal family and he had already seen much worse than Jay in rough condition. They’d all come out better on the other side of it. The kid had even improved his bonds with the rest of the pack afterward.

Regardless, they’d been forced to compromise. The pups weren’t to be involved. Steph and Cas had handled everything uniquely Jay-shaped that had come up. Frankly, he hadn’t been happy. He cared for her, too, yet he hadn’t been allowed to help. 

Until now. Until she was forced to include him. 

He wondered how much his recent birthday played into that decision. He didn’t think it could be much.

Still… It wasn’t like they never visited her or never hung out at her place. Though, typically, they all gathered at Stephanie and Cass’ to keep Bruce off their backs, it wouldn’t necessarily be unusual for Damian to come here. Perhaps he could set up something for tomorrow. 

Surrendering to the inevitable, Tim pulled his laptop out of his bag and settled in on the couch. He felt her heavy gaze immediately. He waited. And waited.

Finally, in a resigned tone, Jay stated, “I don’t need protecting.”

“No.” Tim agreed, slightly surprised at the way this conversation was already going. “You don’t need protecting. But you’re uncomfortable and I can help. I want to help. So I’m staying.”

“I don’t need your help.” She grumbled. Tim turned his head to look at her, eyebrow raised. She grimaced, acknowledging the lie. “Sorry.” She sighed. “I don’t want to disrupt your life.”

“You’re not, Jay.” 

She stared pointedly at his laptop. 

“Exactly.” He noted. “I’m not doing anything different here that I wouldn’t be doing at home. Except eating a better meal and having actual company. In a few hours I get to curl up in a warm nest with my big sister and sleep for more than four hours.”

Tim could feel her glare, “You need to take care of yourself.”

“Pot, kettle.”

“I - But - _Shit_.” Jay grumbled. “At least I’m trying. I’ve got all of you on my ass when I mess up.”

“And I thank you for taking all of the heat off of me and my bad habits.” He quipped.

“How am I the problem child?”

“Because you hide everything. I am a public mess and therefore my relatively minor issues are ignored.”

“I’m getting better.” She whined, hiding her face in his shoulder. “I called you, didn’t I?”

“You did.” Jay could hear the smile in his voice. “We’re very proud.”

The omega froze. After a moment, voice muffled from his shoulder, she whined, “You fucking called Cass and Steph, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did.” His chest shook with restrained laughter, “Who did you think I asked about the food?”

“I thought you asked someone at the grocery store.” He snorted and got another whine in response as she moved so she was laying down, head pillowed on his thigh. Tim smiled slightly. It had taken a lot of work to get Jay to the point where she would accept any kind of physical contact from them and she had to be feeling particularly bad to initiate and maintain it. It was somewhat of a personal victory for him.

“I’m the older sibling. I’m supposed to watch out for _you_.” A low grumble from his knee.

“We look out for each other.” A warm hand rested on her shoulder. “You saved my ass from Maroni’s men the other day. And helped me with Captain Boomerang a few weeks ago. You worked with Stephanie on that thing with the gangs and you and Cass took down Black Mask’s latest attempt to regroup.”

He paused a moment, “We took Stephanie to the water park for her birthday because she’d never been to one while Cass was in Hong Kong. You took Cass camping and taught her how to make s’mores while Steph visited her mom because she was worried and couldn’t go with her. You took Damian to the zoo when he was sad because Bruce told him he couldn’t have another dog.” 

“You bring coffee to Steph when she’s running late for class. You pick Damian up from school twice a week and take him to museums and art shows so Alfred can have an afternoon off. You check on me when I get buried in a case and make Stephanie drag me out for milkshakes after a couple of days. You make sure Steph doesn’t get too buried in school work by dragging her out to the movies or shopping. You call Cass once a week when she’s in Hong Kong to make sure that she knows she’s missed by more than her mate. You take care of us, too. Let us take care of you.”

“How do you know all of that?” She asked, voice tight with emotion.

“You do know we talk to each other, right?” Tim teased, lightly.

“But they’re such little things…”

Voice soft, he said, “You’re not little, Jay. You mean a lot to all of us. We’re glad to have you back, to have you at all. Nothing you do is little to us.”

“I tried to kill you.” The words were barely a breath. He almost didn’t hear them.

Annoyed, Tim snapped, “You have got to forgive yourself for that. I did a long time ago. We all know you weren’t in your right mind, Jay. The only person who still holds you responsible for that is yourself.”

“Bruce - ”

“Doesn’t know shit because you won’t let us tell him.” Came the firm reply. “He doesn’t understand. His opinion doesn’t matter. I’m the one that was hurt. Mine matters most and I forgave you. Knock it the fuck off.”

“Language, little brother.” She chided uncomfortable.

The beta sighed and rolled his eyes. “Jay…”

“I’m sorry.” Jay said softly. “I don’t know if I ever can forgive myself. I would _never_… But I _did_…”

“I know.” Tim matched her tone. “But you weren’t _you_, Jay. Anymore than Two-Face is Harvey Dent.”

“Did you just fucking compare me to Harvey?”

He stifled a laugh, “My point is, you weren’t in your right mind. None of us hold it against you. We can’t make you forgive yourself for it. But know that we know it wasn’t _you_.”

“You know I still believe that some people need to die.” She stated flatly.

“But you’re not killing.” Tim’s tone was equally bland.

“For you. For all of you. To keep the peace. Not because I believe in The Rule.”

He shrugged. “Probably for the best. You’re welcome to your beliefs but B might lost his shit if you start killing in Gotham, again.”

She was quiet for a moment. “I would break that rule in a heartbeat if it meant saving any of your lives.” 

A hand gripped Tim’s heart and squeezed. “I know, Jay… I know.” He hoped he would do the same for her… For Cassandra, for Stephanie, for Dick, even for Damian. Fuck Bruce’s rule. He really hoped he never had to find out, though. 

They settled into a comfortable silence.

Tan was helping some poor guy find his inner style on the tv when Jay drifted off. It wasn’t much longer before Tim followed, only barely managing to set his laptop on the floor first. When Jay woke again, Netflix was asking if they were still watching. Sleepily, she managed to rouse Tim and get them both ensconced in her nest before passing out again. 

It helped a lot, having Tim around. She wasn’t afraid.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Pretty Little Birds" by SZA
> 
> I lied. You get the final installment of Pretty Little Bird early because I have no self-control and it was staring at me accusingly. Hopefully, I'll be able to focus on SladeRobin fills now!
> 
> The good news is: I've completed one, almost done with second, and I've started a third so I'm at least well on my way. (They're not in order, of course, because how could I possibly make it easy?)
> 
> Also: super proud of Jay. Look at that! She's asking for help now. Can we get some love for personal growth and gaining confidence in her sibling relationships?
> 
> Find me on tumblr: primeemeraldheiress


End file.
